The Distiller

Jim Bendis / Bendistillery
Bend, Oregon

Jim Bendis loves to run. In Central Oregon, that usually means treks through the high desert where juniper trees are common foliage. Juniper trees produce berries, lots and lots of juniper berries, the defining botanical in gin. It was during these fits of jogging that Jim asked himself an inspirational question: why couldn’t someone produce gin in a place where the spirit’s prime flavor agent grows wild? And so Bendistillery was born. The name came easy: he lives in Bend, his name is Bendis, and he started a distillery.

Like many successful entrepreneurs, Jim started his now-thriving craft spirits business in a common location: his garage. Jim founded the distillery in 1996 with the goal of reviving the tradition of handcrafted American gin and vodka. What began as a hobby producing and selling a few hundred cases a year in Oregon, is now an industry leader in the burgeoning craft distilling industry, selling 25,000 cases last year in nearly a dozen states.

Located in the high desert of Central Oregon, Jim infuses his spirits with pure Cascade Mountain water, along with botanicals and grains grown on his 24-acre farm near Tumalo.